Kosmos

Culture, travel, fashion and culinary delights: the Kosmos pages of Lufthansa Magazin bring you interesting and useful tidbits from around the world

Culture clash

Soccer’s fine, but in Mexico and Bhutan, and on the Philippines, many people find other traditional sports even more exciting.

Wild and western

Charros, Mexico’s cowboys, demonstrate their prowess with horses before huge audiences. Their charreada, a mix of different equestrian sports, is similar to the U.S. rodeo – and a bone of contention among animal rights activists.

Bow and arrow

The local soccer ground is to Germany what the archery range is to Bhutan: Every village, however small, has one, and everyone turns up at competitions. A hit from 140 meters away is celebrated with a traditional victory dance.

Cut and thrust

Arnis, better known as Filipino Martial Arts, is the national sport of the Philippines. Not only are hands and feet allowed as weapons, but in some contests also sticks, knives, daggers and swords.

Palace of the windows

The Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, India, was built in 1799 for the sole purpose of allowing the ladies of the royal household to watch processions unobserved. Hence the 953 intricately screened windows in its facade.

Build your own kayak, row- or sailboat in only a week at the Great Lakes Boat Building School in the U.S. state of Michigan. Then set sail straight into the water sports arenas that are the Great Lakes on the doorstep.

It takes two…

The best place to see and learn to dance the tango is Buenos Aires, where the sensual dance was born and where the annual International Tango Festival and world championships take place (August 9 – 22).